PRISHTINA, Sept 7 (KIC) - On the occasion of 7th September, the day when
eight years ago the Constitution of the Republic of Kosova was proclaimed,
President Ibrahim Rugova issued a statement today.

Following is the text of the statement.

(Begin text)

"After the announcement of the Independence Declaration of Kosova on 2 July
1990, the proclamation of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosova on 7
September 1990 marked a fundamental act for the state of Kosova. This
important date in the modern history of Kosova set the legal and political
foundations for the statehood of Kosova.

Today, eight years after the adoption of this grand act, the people of
Kosova - although occupied and facing severe Serb forces' offensives - is
strongly committed to building a democratic and civic society in Kosova.
And, despite the suffering, they are committed to achieve independence for
Kosova by political means.

In the face of current critical and difficult times, the people of Kosova
will know how to overcome the grave situation, with the support and help of
the democratic world, especially the United States of America and the
European Union.

Assistant Secretary Shattuck: "What Senator Dole and I have seen are
horrendous human rights violations, violations of humanitarian law, and
acts of punitive destruction on a massive scale."

Senator Dole: "American and European leaders have pledged not to allow the
crimes against humanity which we witnessed in Bosnia to occur in Kosovo.
But, from what I have seen this weekend, such crimes are already
happening."

PRISHTINA, Sept 7 (KIC) - Assistant Secretary of State John Shattuck and
Senator Bob Dole, chairman of the International Commission on Missing
Persons, held a joint press conference Sunday, 6 September, after their two-
day visit to Kosova.

Following are the statements the two U.S. officials made in Prishtina.

Assistant Secretary John Shattuck: "I want to thank both the staff of
Embassy Belgrade, USIS Pristina, and the officers and staff of the Kosovo
Diplomatic Observer Mission for their superb work giving Senator Dole and
me the opportunity to look first-hand at the human rights catastrophe that
is occurring in Kosovo.

Senator Dole and I have been examining the situation since we arrived two
days ago. Over this period, we have had the opportunity to meet with
Kosovo's political, academic, and religious leadership, and to speak
directly with eyewitnesses and victims of human rights atrocities. What
Senator Dole and I have seen are horrendous human rights violations,
violations of humanitarian law, and acts of punitive destruction on a
massive scale.

We are deeply concerned about the plight of refugees and note that as each
day passes we come closer to a humanitarian disaster. If the authorities do
not take immediate action to stop the massive shelling of civilians and
destruction of villages, the many thousands of people who are afraid to
return to their homes will be at serious risk of freezing or starving.
Belgrade cannot look away from the disaster it has created.

Today, I heard first-hand reports that security forces are separating men
and boys from their families in villages and clusters of internally
displaced persons. We have raised this issue directly with Belgrade today
and plan to take it up with President Milosevic tomorrow. Mortar attacks on
fleeing civilians, such as what occurred last week in Senik, are a common
occurrence in Kosovo. The numbers of missing persons are growing.
Kidnapping and detention by all sides must stop.

We have heard reports of mass grave sites in a number of areas, including
Orahovac and Klecka. Without impartial forensic experts on the scene, no
one will ever know even the names of the dead, to say nothing of who was
responsible for killing them. We strongly urge the Yugoslav government to
issue visas for Physicians for Human Rights, an independent association of
forensic doctors that can resolve these critical questions. Investigating
these sites is an urgent priority, and is in the interest of both Serbs
and Albanians.

All that we have seen points to the urgent need for investigation and
prosecution by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia. Meanwhile, the serious human rights violations and the current
and expanding humanitarian crisis point to the urgent need for safe and
unimpeded access to all parts of Kosovo by international non-governmental
organizations.

Belgrade must stop denying them visas. Freedom of access for all must be
restored.

Our larger goal is a democratic and peaceful region where civilians have
control of their own lives. But first, the violence must stop.

The government must face up to the looming tragedy that could occur as
early as October. Half measures will only exacerbate the problem. When I
return to Washington, I will communicate my finding to the President and
Secretary Albright. Thank you."

Senator Bob Dole: "First, I would like to thank Assistant Secretary
Shattuck, Ambassador Miles, the American Embassy and USIS staff, and the
Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission (KDOM) for arranging this critical fact-
finding mission.

As the Secretary [Shattuck] has mentioned, we came here to assess first-
hand the human rights and humanitarian situation. What we have seen is
tremendous suffering - suffering that will only escalate dramatically once
winter sets in a month from now. We spoke to Albanian families and Serb
families - the elderly and the young.

Some of the people we met told us that they are living in the hills at
night and coming to their homes during the day. And, they are the lucky
ones. Today's rain will quickly turn to snow and the hundreds of thousands
of internally displaced persons who are living day and night in the forests
and hills will face freezing, as well as starvation.

We met Serb and Albanian mothers whose sons are missing. As Chairman of the
International Commission on Missing Persons in the former Yugoslavia, I
have met with mothers in Croatia, in Serbia and in Bosnia - where there are
more than 20,000 registered missing. All mothers are desperate for answers
about the fate of their loved ones. In that regard, I intend to press
President Milosevic tomorrow for visas for forensic teams from physicians
for human rights. These forensic experts are ready to assist in Kosovo,
but have been waiting for months without a positive response to their visa
request.

We also heard testimony from eye-witnesses to some of the crimes and
atrocities that have been reported by the press. These accounts were
chilling. American and European leaders have pledged not to allow the
crimes against humanity which we witnessed in Bosnia to occur in Kosovo.
But, from what I have seen this weekend, such crimes are already
happening.

Clearly, there is a humanitarian disaster here that is rapidly developing
into a humanitarian catastrophe of tremendous proportions. However, we must
all recognize that the problem in Kosovo is not by definition a
humanitarian one. This is a political and military crisis, whose symptoms
are humanitarian. This is war against civilians for political purposes.

And so, I believe that the United States and our friends and allies who are
legitimately concerned about the situation in Kosovo, must press for a
cease-fire and a withdrawal of police, military forces.

Harassment, kidnapping, and attacks on civilians must be halted - by all
the forces in Kosovo. If that is achieved, people will be able to return to
their villages without fear. Moreover, then Serb and Albanian political
leaders can engage in negotiations to achieve a permanent and lasting peace
in Kosovo.

Finally, I would emphasize that it should be our goal to achieve a
permanent peace built on democratic institutions. The Kosovars have lived
without civil liberties and human rights for more than a decade. The
options are not easy, but postponing the search for a genuine solution will
not only prolong the agony for the Albanians, but for the Serbs, who also
deserve democracy. Thank you."

Reflections on the hibernation of NATO, lack of an ethical elite in Europe,
pro-Serb interim settlement in Kosova, the morality of office in Prishtina,
the imperative of saying 'no' PRISHTINA, Sept 7 (KIC) - "The six months of
summer in Kosova froze the hearts of many Albanians. While this happened,
NATO, the U.S. and others, dozed. Those who were a bit less sleepy hunted
down for excuses for their inaction. And intelligent idlers are very good
at this. NATO set its sights high. Intelligent idlers have always done
this in order to justify their idleness to their intelligence."

This is the beginning of an article by Muhamet Hamiti carried by the
Prishtina-based Informatori evening newspaper, dated 6 September 1998.

The writer reflects on the current situation in Kosova and the utterly
inadequate international reaction to it.

"NATO has been hibernating this summer. A sleepy exercise was what NATO was
engaged in in Albania in August. Such will be the next one in Macedonia.
Because the exercises will be conducted around Kosova borders, but will be
directed against nobody, the American commander of the "Cooperative
Assembly '98" maneuver in Albania said. Now the Americans are saying the
NATO contingency plans for any eventuality are by and large complete.", the
Albanian-language Informatori writer notes.

Mr. Hamiti goes on to say: "These past six summer months, while Albanians
were being killed in their homes and villages, on the street and in the
towns, but also in makeshift shelters of bushes and tree branches in the
mountains, the world made some stews duly seasoned with 'deep concern',
'very deep concern' on the developments in Kosova."

The blistering summer that froze the hearts of hundreds and thousands of
Albanians was among the hardest winters of Western civilization. This
happens now that Europe has no self-questioning elite to question the
values the establishment enforces in the society.", Mr. Hamiti writes,
slamming the European response.

The author then comes back to the reality in Kosova, "at the close of
summer, the beginning of winter", as he puts it.

"In Kosova, the idea of an interim settlement with Serbs - with a time
frame of three to five years - has been introduced. Kicked off by Belgrade,
warmly accepted by the Americans and Russians, the idea has been thrust to
the weary Albanians. The official Prishtina, embodied in the Office of the
President of the Republic, said 'yes' to the idea," the author sums up the
situation of the last week.

"The problem is the idea is married with a ready-made substance.

Words that have leaked from this private process of epistolary negotiations
say that, such as it has been designed and redesigned by Belgrade and the
Washington envoys, the solution that is on offer at present is pro-Serbian.
The one that has been drafted by the Kosova negotiating team is believed to
be pro-Kosovar."

The writer, Mr. Hamiti, criticizes what he calls 'blocking off' and
'scaling down' of official information on atrocities and destruction during
the Serbian aggression in Kosova. The Western officials have been doing
this with statements like 'there has been destruction, but not that much',
'there is no verified information', 'there are allegations that human
rights have been abused' in Kosova, he notes. "Western quarters will now
try to settle down the thing and appease their consciousness by laying the
blame on the [Kosova] Albanian side", the author notes, referring to the
interpretation of the VOA Friday evening in the wake of the unveiling of
the interim settlement idea for Kosova. The Albanian rather than the Serb
side is now the problem, the VOA correspondent said portraying the current
state of the affairs. "And no doubt the Albanians were at fault from the
very beginning, for they have not accepted Serbian rule and occupation",
the Informatori writer said ironically.

At the end of his reflections, the author says the "morality of office
demands that Albanian officials, first and foremost the President of the
Republic of Kosova, Ibrahim Rugova, tell their electorate something more
before they accept even in principle something that fastens or unfastens
the fate of Kosova. For the idea precedes everything."

To say 'no' is a civic and official courage and imperative when the
arrangement is unfavourable." Muhamet Hamiti concludes his article in
Informatori evening newspaper.

Five elderly Albanians, victims of Serb terror, buried Sunday in Lubi^ev&
village; many wounded in Prizren hospital PRISHTINA, Sept 7 (KIC) - On
Sunday, five victims of Serb terror were buried in the village of Lubi^ev&
in the municipality of Prizren. The village has been deserted in the wake
of Serb attack.

Meanwhile, the drama of Albanian people living in villages along the Drini
river banks continues, although there has been a let-up.

Four Albanians who had been arrested in Dejn&, Renoc and Ratkoc villages of
Rahovec and released Saturday evening, said some 58 persons had been
rounded up in the village of Dejn& alone, men who had separated from the
cluster of refugees, mostly women, children and elderly.

The Serb police reportedly had ordered the rounded up Albanians to walk to
the village of Ratkoc with their hands behind their heads.

They were ordered to walk in such a posture as not to allow them see the
dimension of Serb destruction in Ratkoc.

Reports said in the village of Palluzh&, Serb police ordered the Albanian
men and women take off their clothes, remaining only in underwear. 27 men
were sent to Prizren virtually unclothed. Amongst them were Samidin Bytyqi
and Gazmend Bytyqi, who were singled out and taken away by police, and not
returned to the group of other detainees, witnesses said.

Today (Monday) the following wounded Albanians were said to be in Prizren
hospital: Rexhep M. Krasniqi (1954) - Kramovik, Manush H.

Sources said Drita Morina and Hajrije Morina were wounded in their home.
Reportedly, they had returned back home and were wounded from a bomb Serb
forces had planted in the wood stove. The grenade exploded when the two
women started a fire unaware of it.

PRISHTINA, Sept 7 (KIC) - The LDK chapter in Suhareka, a town 50 km south-
west of Prishtina, described today the situation in the municipality as
extremely grave. A wide area around Suhareka and the town itself is still
packed with Serb army and police troops, making it impossible for any
normalization of life to take place in the wake of Serb offensive which
left scores of Albanians killed and wounded, and thousands of displaced
persons (IDP's), it said.

The remains of an Albanian, Ramadan Mazreku, killed by Serb forces, were
buried yesterday in Semetisht village. Two old men who happened to walk
near by buried him as there are no people at present in the village,
witnesses said.

Meanwhile, sources said that bodies of six other Albanians have been laying
unburied in Sllapuzhan village for days now, as no one dares approach the
site which is under the watchful eye of Serb troops.

The municipal board of school principals met on Sunday to examine if and
where the pupils could begin the new school year, officially kicked off in
Kosova on 1 September. For the time being the classes can only be held in
11 schools in the municipality, the board concluded.

PRISHTINA, Sept 7 (KIC) - The health situation of the displaced Albanians
in the villages of Gjakova municipality is catastrophic, the LDK
Information Commission in Gjakova said.

It reported that 4,000 Albanians, displaced from the municipality of
Rahovec, who have been camping out in the fields of the Marmull village of
Gjakova are "living through a catastrophe".

Albanian medical staff has been prevented by Serb regime authorities from
going to the affected area, sources said.

A similar situation has been reported in the villages and mountains of the
Dushkaj& region of Gjakova, such as in Krelan, C&rmjan, Bardhaniq, Zhabel,
G&rgoc and Jabllanic&.

Local Albanian structures in Gjakova have been calling for international
NGOs, the Red Cross, "Doctors without Borders", and others, to reach out to
these people out in the countryside, but also to those in the town itself.

[07] Serb Police Cracks Down on Gjakova Quarter, Detains over a Dozen
Albanians

PRISHTINA, Sept 7 (KIC) - Heavy Serb forces clamped down today morning on
the 'Mulla Jusufi' neighborhood in Gjakova, rounding up over a dozen local
Albanians, local sources reported.

The LDK chapter in Gjakova said it could confirm the identity of some of
the Albanians arrested by Serb police in the town today, including Shyqri
Bicurri, Masar Bicurri, Nysret Trupaj and his brother (his name unknown),
Shani Luzha, Nuri Mulliqi and his son Erenik Mulliqi (11).

The LDK said it learned they were detained under the pretext that some
children had stoned Serb forces' trucks driving along that part of the
town.

By early afternoon today, all the detained Albanians were reported still in
custody. Heavy Serb police forces were still in the 'Mulla Jusufi'
neighborhood, harassing the local population and searching homes of
Albanians there.

PRISHTINA, Sept 7 (KIC) - A real humanitarian disaster is looming over the
villages of Llap^ev&, Panorc and Rud with thousands of people camping out
in the hills, the head of the LDK Information Commission in Malisheva told
the KIC today. They risk both freezing and starving, he said.

Isuf Bytyqi said that last night a baby born in the hills died because of
lack of medical treatment. He said that dozens, perhaps hundreds, of
Albanians have been rounded up by Serb forces in the villages of Malisheva
and the neighboring municipality of Klina. He named some of them, whose
identity could be confirmed, including Kadri Rudi, Beqir Rudi and Ramadan
Bacaliu from Gremnik village; Hysen Kryeziu from Bubavec; Bajram Gashi and
Bislim Gashi from Sverka; Bajram Berisha and Selim Kelmendi from Kramovik,
Blerim Gashi, Nazmi Gashi, Bekim Gashi and Zahir Gashi from Sverka.

They were taken in the direction of Peja but it is unclear where they have
ended up, the head of the LDK Information Commission said, adding that many
others are believed to be in the hands of Serb troops.

Meanwhile, sources said that Serb troops have withdrawn from the village of
Llap^ev&, Rud and Panorc, where over 500 local men were terrorized during
the last weekend. Serbs have torched scores of farmhouses there.

Serb troops entered today the Ostrozub village. The local population who
had returned to the village earlier began fleeing again today when Serb
troops were advancing into the village.

PRISHTINA, Sept 7 (KIC) - The body of an Albanian woman, Valentina Maloku,
remains uncollected in the Prishtina hospital morgue, the Prishtina-based
Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) said today.

The CDHRF said that the now late Valentina Maloku was brought to the
Prishtina hospital with fire arms wounds.

The patient was not only denied proper treatment by the personnel in the
clinic, but was also subjected to physical maltreatment by police.

Serb policemen guarded during the whole time the hospital room she was
being treated in, witnesses told the human rights Council.

Witnesses told the LDK chapter in Kamenica, the eastern-most Kosova town,
that heavily armed Serb policemen cracked down on the homes of Albanians
without producing any search warrant or explaining who they were after.

Local Albanians Ramadan Zubaku, Ismet Zubaku and Jakup Zubaku were detained
after having had their homes thoroughly searched. They were released later
in the day. Two other men, Esat Zubaku, and Sylejman Morina, are being
still held in custody, sources said.

PRISHTINA, Sept 7 (KIC) - Hajriz Uka, a 28-year-old Albanian from T&rstena
village, received shrapnel wounds last weekend when a Serb shell landed in
his village, the LDK chapter in Mitrovica said.

The LDK said that over the past days the Serb police has arrested several
Albanians in Mitrovica and the neighboring municipality of Skenderaj
('Srbica').

Ajnishahe M. Shala, head of the LDK Women's Forum, was detained at a Serb
police checkpoint in Nadakovc village on Sunday. She was reportedly
offended and threatened with liquidation while in custody.

The LDK Information Commission also named the following Albanians arrested
by the Serb police in past two days: Sejdi Ahmeti, local humanitarian
worker, Imer B. Haziri (30), student with the Metallurgical Faculty in
Mitrovica, and Gani I. Bajrami (46), LDK activist.